[veyron1]

yeah guys, a body shape change would have been a welcome change to our sore sights, but honda isn't going to do anything about the looks, at least for now. the reason could be it's popularity in thailand.
and shan2nu, honda is also bringing in the civic to India, albeit later than the vtec, which means that a launch can be expected anytime after november or december.
performance you ask? the civic will bridge the gap between the accord and the city, so expect it to be a corolla contender, with 130 bhp+, 0-100 in about 8.8-9.0 secs, and top end of 200 kmph+!

as for competition, there is no competition for the OHC- at least not now, as it's not in production anymore!! and baleno, well... IMHO, the baeno looks far better, so it all boils down to performance......!!!

so let the games begin, and the bhpians shall enjoy the VTEC wars, same as ever, but with bigger grins, heh heh..!!!

[islero]

I agree with you guys, the NHC Vtec would make one hell of a sleeper!!!

Just imagine the incredulous expressions on the faces of those Ikon and Lancer drivers, when, thinking they had the race in their hands, they found the quirky looking dowdy honda burning tarmac and leaving them in its wake......

[moralfibre]

Hey Shantanu why dont you try putting in some of your photoshop skills on the NHC design or do you feel its not even worth the time ) ? I feel the new car may match the performance of the old VTEC but it would never come close to the sleek design and proportion of the old version. I also remember having seen OD having driven the NHC VTEC somewhere in Malaysia I guess but I am not sure though.

[v_s_natarajan]

somehow, 100 BHP is getting to be less and less.
I feel ideally cars/sedans should have 150+BHP.
It is not that we are going to drive like a shooting star but it helps in pretty Quick passes and overtakes in our Highways.
I had some crazy experiences during my Drive last week with Fusion+

[Rtech]

I don't understand the logic of this.

It's obvious that this generation City is never going to be a car that is lusted after, even if it does have a 105hp engine in it. People who buy the NHC buy it for its practicality, reliability and interiors. They do not buy it as a style statement or performance car.

With the proposed pricing of the NHC Vtec in the mid 8 lakh range going upto 9 lakhs, I feel it is a complete waste. Yes, it may have a decent straight line performance, but overall, there is only so much you can do with this car when it comes to handling before the laws of physics take over. If it were my money, I would buy an Optra, as simple as that.

Honda desperatly needs to launch the Civic, but as they are waiting for the next generation model to come out, I guess we are stuck with this wannabe performer till early next year.

Closing statement: I'm not the least bit excited about the NHC Vtec.

[Shan2nu]

I agree Rtech, there's a limitto how much suspenssion and tyres can improve ride and handling. I don't think this version is gonna have any special suspenssion.

Height and bulk being the biggest culprits. The new Vtec might ride and handle better than the NHC idsi but, it'll never be able to match the Ikon, Lancer, OHC or the Baleno.

The Corolla is the perfect example of this, light car, powerful engine, blistering in a straight line but, the moment the roads get twisty, the disadvantages of having a tall, bulky car start showing.

Take our website for example, how many times have people talked about or raved about the Corollas performance? I bet i could count it on one hand. The Skoda RS, Ford Mondeo even the Accord 2.4 M/T have been talked about with greater interest.

Shan2nu

[jesal]

yes but when the word VTEC comes in everyone is ready with their weapons wonder when MIVEC will come then. the worst bit is all talk about the honda city vtec there are more vtec models available from honda. as far as the NHC vtec goes it looks as ugly as it always did unless u change the looks. old one was far far far better but as the resale goes right now of the OHC. i hate that bit too. too much hype over the brand itself. all views personal here by the way so no offence to anyone.

[veyron1]

yeah, the new city was never a looker, but when you spend around 9 lac rupees, you better demand some status and pose value for it. if i were you rtech, i would hold my horses till the mitsubishi carisma and the civic are launched instead of plunging for the optra- both of these will have "muchas" better performance, handling, and looks.

and yeah, there are other vtecs from honda, but it's affordable vtecs by the masses that we're talking about here! for that matter, not just vtecs, but vvt-i s , dohcs and others too..

[normally_crazy]

Shantanu - forget photoshopping the sonata to make it look good .....try and photoshop the NHC to look a little sportier ( read that as better ) for its about to be launched VTEC avataar !

[Rtech]

if i were you rtech, i would hold my horses till the mitsubishi carisma and the civic are launched instead of plunging for the optra- both of these will have "muchas" better performance, handling, and looks.

I'm not looking to buy a new car. i was simply stating an opinion there. However, I don't see how you can call the Carisma good looking? Looks pretty dated IMO and was universally considered as one of the most boring cars ever to be sold!

[veyron1]

Originally Posted by Rtech

I'm not looking to buy a new car. i was simply stating an opinion there. However, I don't see how you can call the Carisma good looking? Looks pretty dated IMO and was universally considered as one of the most boring cars ever to be sold!

me too! i was just making a point. but the new Carisma, which is about to hit our shores has revised proportions, headlamps, et al. all in all, it'll at least be better lookin' than the new city vtec.

[gamerno1]

i would save all my money for years & buy a Honda Civic V-tec
but what performance would i expect from it here in india

[v_s_natarajan]

still remember driving the Accura legend in the U.S.
umm, Honda is chasing us in this part of the world too

[veyron1]

forget all these cars, would all you guys, including shan2nu, gto, n_c, rtech,gamerno, and the rest, have liked to see the the tata magna go into production?
i mean, if i was offered a choice between the front wheel drive, 1500cc, 105 bhp city vtec, or the 118 bhp, 1.8 litre lancer invex, and the 2100cc, 135bhp rear wheel drive (that's right, the same powerplant is currently used in the safari) magna, i would have definitely gone in for the magna, hands down!!
tata was going to initially offer the 135 bhp powerplant in the magna, and price the car for about rs 9 lac.
are you kidding me?? i would have pounced on the magna over the new city vtec!!
the powerplant, as you know, is highly specced, with double overhead camshaft, etc.
the engine powers the 2040 kg safari to 100kmph in 16.5 secs; imagine what it could have done in the 1100kg magna!! 0-100 in about 10 secs, top speed of 200 kmph, etc...
the main advantage of the magna over the city would have been the fact that - it's REAR WHEEL DRIVE!!!!
come to think of it, i'm getting a brainwave...why not plonk the 2.1 engine in a contessa, with the safari diesel's gearbox and LSD?
any pointers? hey psycho, are you listening....?


regarding the civic, gamerno, you can expect performance figures of 0-100 in less than 10 sec, top speed of 200 kmph+, and power of around 140 bhp from the engine.

[v_s_natarajan]

the Isusu engine in contessa?